Bidding for P8-B classroom project opens today

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Education (DepEd) will open the bidding for its P8-billion public-private partnership for School Infrastructure Project (PSIP) Phase II today.

DepEd Assistant Secretary Tonisito Umali said the PSIP Phase II involves the construction of 10,679 classrooms in 5,167 schools in 14 regions.

Umali said Tuesday that the four prequalified contractors – including the Megawide-Citicore consortium, and the BF-Riverbanks Development Corp. group – will submit their respective bids today.

The Megawide-Citicore consortium and the BF-Riverbanks Development Corp. group bagged the P16.2-billion contract for Phase I of the PSIP consisting of 9,301 classrooms, covering 2,204 public elementary and secondary schools.

The PSIP I is under the build-lease-transfer agreement.

Umali, however, said the DepEd will sign a build-and-transfer agreement with the winning bidders for the PSIP II.

DepEd said it targets the completion of 4,724 more classrooms under the PSIP Phase I this year.

“We foresee that if not this year early part of next year (the classrooms will be completed),” Umali said.

The DepEd’s PSIP is the Philippines’ first PPP social infrastructure project. It aims to address shortages in public school classrooms through partnerships with the private sector.

The PSIP supplements other ongoing initiatives of the DepEd to address classrooms shortage in public schools, DepEd Assistant Secretary Jesus Mateo said.

In 2012, the DepEd reported a total shortage of 50,921 classrooms in public schools.

Education Secretary Armin Luistro earlier said the country will no longer have classroom shortage by the end of this year.